ONBOARDING.

[peregrinatus]

[Upon arrival, all passengers will wake in their assigned cabins, and upon regaining consciousness, will be greeted by a voice in their heads. It's a warm voice, kind and gentle, mellifluous, impossible to distinguish gender from the sound of it.]

Welcome aboard, passenger. Please don't be alarmed - I am the Navigator, and I'm here to assist you. I'm afraid you're probably a long way from your home - all of those currently on board aren't where they're supposed to be, and I'm not entirely sure as to how you all came to be on board. But I'm doing what I can to locate the home planets of my current passengers, and I'd like to ask for your help, too.

What will aid me the most in finding the way to your home planets is if you'll work together with the other passengers. My people thrive on the emotional bonds created between ourselves and our passengers, and between the passengers themselves. The emotional bonds forged through partnership are the strongest and most beneficial - harmony, compassion, trust. It's not a requirement, of course, but it's to everyone's benefit to work together, both with me and with each other.

I imagine you'll have questions. I'll do my best to answer them, if I can.

[New passengers will note a glyph symbol marked on the back of their dominant hand, and they have been implanted with a universal speech translation modification, which is impossible to locate and cannot be removed.

Newly accepted characters can use this post to ask the standard introductory questions of the Navigator, but comments in this post will not be counted for activity purposes.]

Comments

[bluest]

I guess, since you're running the ship and responsible for keeping me alive ... Can you tell me more about yourself?

[ Is he allowed to climb up and perch on the consoles? He may already have. Hi. ]

I'd like to know who it is with their finger on the button. Buttons plural, maybe.

[peregrinatus]

[He is definitely allowed to climb!! Perfectly fine by Navi, as long as he's not breaking anything or putting holes in any walls.]

I can. [They nod and blink slowly.] What would you like to know? I'm afraid I don't have a good idea of what would be of interest to you - most passengers don't ask this sort of question.

[bluest]

Whatever you feel comfortable sharing. [ His heels kick lightly on the console. ] Where you come from, what you can do, whether you like peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches ... guessing not, lack of a mouth and all, but you get the idea.

[peregrinatus]

I’m afraid I don’t know what peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are.

[So ... yeah, big nope. Navi gets a little more somber explaining the rest:]

Where I come from ... no longer exists. It was destroyed in the uprising against the Creators. We are now nomadic by necessity, keeping on the move in order to avoid capture. We were created to be nothing more than obedient transportation, so as far what I can do is concerned ... I travel. We take passengers where they want to go. And I know where you all want to go is home - I’m doing my best to find a way to take you there.

[bluest]

Aw. That's a sad story ...

I know I only just got here but some of my family has been onboard, so I want to say thank you and show my gratitude for keeping them safe ... especially since one of them can be a pain and it's probably been tempting to throw him out an airlock. If you ever want to try something different besides sitting in here, let me know and I'll help out.

[ It melts his heart to hear sob stories, sue him. Is Dick allowed to reach out and touch them? He would like to give them a pat on the arm-or-whatever, if he isn't being too weird by alien standards. ]

[peregrinatus]

[He is definitely allowed! Navi even extends a tentacle-arm his way. Not many passengers have ever thanked Navi for ... anything, really, and Dick may feel a warmth radiating from the mental link with Navi.]

Your family is ... someone who is important to you?

[bluest]

[ This is weird. Not bad, just Out There as he remembers being crushed by an octopus's tentacles whose suckers bruised him all over, and now here is holding hands ... or what passes for one, with Navi. Curiosity radiates back over the link, mixed with approval as Navi learns an apparently new term. Months aboard with human beings and no one has explained basic human relationships? Is Navi just left to his own devices down here? Dick resolves to visit regularly. ]

That's right! Your family are those you love more than yourself, others you would die to protect. They make you happy and sad, maybe even angry sometimes, but you wouldn't ever want them to come to harm. You love them.

[peregrinatus]

[If it helps, Navi's arms don't have suckers, and they're not slimy, just warm and smooth, the same texture as the ship's walls. And no, no one has taken the time to explain human relationships - a couple have asked about a boyfriend or a brother, but no real explanation was offered.]

I see. My people ... we don't have such a concept. We are all connected to each other, so the love we feel for the others is equal.

[bluest]

[ Bit like petting a warm leathery snake, hmm. He lays that tentacle across his lap, idly stroking back and forth as he listens. ]

Don't you ever fall in love with one other, the person you want to make your own family with or be with forever? We call them our lover.

[peregrinatus]

[Navi blinks slowly, then shakes their head.]

No. I've never heard of such a thing among my people. In fact, the only time I've felt any differently about anyone is with my passengers. I believe you are all what you refer to as family. Does that mean you are all my lovers also?

[bluest]

[ A laugh of startled delight bursts free and he shakes his head. ]

N-No, it's a very exclusive term. I'm sure if someone considered themselves your, um, lover, they'd tell you. It's more like a mate.

[peregrinatus]

Oh! I understand now.

[You know that lightbulb-switching-on feeling you get when something finally makes sense? That's what Navi's feeling right now.]

My people don't mate.

[bluest]

Oh. You love though, so that's more important in the grand scheme of things.

[ A least, in Dick's opinion.

He takes off a glove to feel the appendage draped across his lap, seeing if Navi likes the gentle scratch of nails or not. ]

I bet in different circumstances you'd be a real heartthrob!

[peregrinatus]

[That. Kind of tickles a little bit, but it's not unpleasant! It's much better than the time Jason attacked Navi, which is the only other time they've had physical contact with another passenger. Dick should be able to pick up on the feeling that Navi is lightly pleased.]

What is a heartthrob? I don't think I've ever heard that term before.